Math Magic Teachers Hints, Love Math

HINTS FOR MATH TEACHERS

1. For many years I asked my ninth-grade science students to fill in a questionnaire at the beginning of the year.

One question was: "What is your least favorite school subject?" Year after year I got the same answer from the majority of my students: Math.

A second question was: "Why is it your least favorite subject?" The reasons seldom varied from the following: "I’m not good at it." "I don’t understand it." "It’s too hard."

Then Betty came to teach 8th grade math at my junior high school. Her husband had retired, so they moved to a country home in my area.

Betty hadn’t become a teacher until after her children were all in school. Then she went back to college to get her degree.

During her earlier years of schooling she had a difficult time with math and didn’t like it. When she went back to school, she fell in love with math and chose that as her teaching field.

2. I was never able to visit her classroom, but I know how her students responded to her.

The fall after her first year of teaching at my school there was a total change in the answers to my questionnaire.

Another question I always asked was: "What is your favorite class?" Much to my amazement, and delight, that year the answer was: Math.

The answers to the next question were very revealing: "I’m really good at it." "I love the challenge." "It’s fun."

MATH, LOVE IT OR HATE IT!

3. Betty taught for one more year and the answers to my questionnaire remained the same.

Then her husband announced he had retired so they could have more time together, so she had to retire too. I was on the committee that selected her replacement. We chose a young man who wanted to teach math, even though it was his minor, because he loved it.

We chose with great care and he was a fine teacher, and a good colleague, but the year I got his students, the answers to my questions reverted to their previous norm. “I hate math.” “It’s too hard.” “I’m not good at it.”

What was Betty’s secret? I wish I knew. Betty, if you should read this, please, contact me. Or, if you are one of the Betty’s in the field of math, let me know your secret.